Traffic Safety

The UPD is dedicated to making the University of North Florida a safe environment for students, staff and faculty.

One of the ways the University of North Florida Police Department (UPD) promotes traffic safety is through the education and enforcement of traffic laws. The enforcement of Florida traffic laws and Jacksonville municipal ordinances is another tool that enables the UPD to better serve the university community.

Traffic control signs regulate the speed, direction of travel and overall movement of motor vehicles while on campus. Florida traffic law shall apply to every street, drive, sidewalk area, and driveway and to every other public way, public place or public parking area. All motorized vehicles that operate on university roadways must be properly licensed, insured and operated by a driver possessing a valid driver's license. Police Officers employed by the UPD may use discretion in determining whether a University Warning Ticket or a Florida Uniform Traffic Citation (UTC) will be issued. If a University Warning Ticket is issued to a violator on the UNF campus, it will not result in points on the vehicle operator's driver's license nor will the violation be reflected on the operator's State driving record. Issuance of a Florida UTC may result in both. The University Warning Ticket provides officers with an alternative method to educate drivers on the UNF campus and enforce traffic law violations less punitively.

Violators are encouraged not to ignore Florida UTCs issued by University Police Officers for equipment or moving violations. The Florida UTCs issued by UNF Police Officers are the same citations issued by the Florida Highway Patrol and every other police and sheriff's department in Florida. They are not contestable in a "student court" and are only contestable in front of a county or circuit court judge. Delinquent citations will result in the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles imposition of additional fines, suspension and or revocation of your driver's license. Florida UTCs issued on the UNF campus or anywhere within Duval County can be paid at any branch office of the Duval County Clerk of the Courts. Florida UTCs may be contested by requesting a court appearance through the Duval County Clerk or the Courts. Please bear in mind that frustration or anger over receiving a citation, forgetfulness, being late for class, lack of knowledge of Florida traffic law or the inability to recognize the authority of the University of North Florida are not prudent arguments for contesting a citation.

Please refer to the State of Florida driver handbook for additional information about Florida Traffic Laws or visit the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles at www.hsmv.state.fl.us.

Traffic Safety Campaigns

"Click It or Ticket"

More than 32,000 passenger vehicle occupants died in traffic crashes, 2407 of those occurred in the state of Florida, in 2013 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - and 49 percent of those motorists killed were NOT wearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal crash.

The University of North Florida Police Department (UPD) has joined with other state and local law enforcement and highway safety officials to crack down on low seat belt use and to reduce roadway fatalities. The Click It or Ticket campaign is an aggressive national effort to mobilize law enforcement to enforce seat belt laws and to convince more motorists to buckle up - day and night. For more information, contact the UPD or visit www.nhtsa.gov/CIOT

"Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over"

Drunk driving is one of America 's deadliest crimes. In 2013, 10,076 people died in highway crashes involving impaired driving, nearly 1/3rd of all traffic deaths. Of those fatalities, 33 percent were between 21-24 years of age. Twenty-seven percent of those who died in single-vehicle crashes in 2013 had BAC levels of .08 or higher.

The University of North Florida Police Department (UPD) has joined with thousands of other law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the nation to take part in the Drunk Driving: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown on impaired driving.

Driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal in every state. Yet in 2013, 10,076 crash fatalities involved a driver or motorcycle operator with a BAC of .08 or higher, amounting to approximately one fatality every 51 minutes. To deter this careless disregard for human life, the UPD's officers are dedicated to arresting impaired drivers wherever and whenever they find them.

Drunk driving is simply not worth the risk. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, but the financial and personal costs of a crash or an arrest for impaired driving can be significant. Violators often face jail time, the loss of their driver's license, higher insurance rates, attorney fees, time away from work, and dozens of other expenses. Plus, offenders risk added embarrassment, humiliation and other potential losses and consequences after informing family, friends and employers.

The national Drunk Driving: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over impaired driving crackdown is a program organized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that focuses on combining high-visibility enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity.